Saturday
02May2009
Gardasil Linked To Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Sat, May 2, 2009 | Lisa Barger
This isn’t getting a lot of attention, probably because of all the swine flu stories, but new research links the HPV vaccine Gardasil to an increased risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome.
The risk is greatest in the first 6 weeks or so after the vaccine is given.
Researchers were quick to point out that the risk is still very, very small. Between 2006 and 2008, there were only 53 cases of Guillain-Barre linked to Gardasil. That doesn’t sound like many adverse events when you consider that 23 million doses of the vaccine were distributed. But what’s really significant here is that 1/3 of the cases presented themselves within 2 weeks of the vaccine and 3/4 showed up within 6 weeks.
As you might expect, Merck—the manufacturer behind Gardasil—released a statement claiming “the data do not currently suggest an association”.
Researchers were quick to point out that the risk is still very, very small. Between 2006 and 2008, there were only 53 cases of Guillain-Barre linked to Gardasil. That doesn’t sound like many adverse events when you consider that 23 million doses of the vaccine were distributed. But what’s really significant here is that 1/3 of the cases presented themselves within 2 weeks of the vaccine and 3/4 showed up within 6 weeks.
As you might expect, Merck—the manufacturer behind Gardasil—released a statement claiming “the data do not currently suggest an association”.
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